Where does “debility” come from?
Debility comes from Middle English debylite, from Old French debilité, from Latin debilitas, meaning weakness, derived from the adjective debilis, meaning weak or infirm.
debility (English): A state of physical or mental weakness
Definitions
- A state of physical or mental weakness
Ancestry of “debility”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | debylite | — |
| 2 | Old French | debilité | — |
| 3 | Latin | dēbilitās | weakness |
| 4 | Latin | dēbilis | weak, frail, feeble |
| 5 | Latin | dēbeō | to owe something, to be under obligation to and for something |
| 6 | Latin | dē- | of; from |
| 7 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 8 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 9 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |